The following originally appeared as part of "Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit Week 6: Faithfulness."
Call to Confession
Jesus is our cornerstone; the king above all kings, the one on whom we can rely. Like us, he journeyed through the wilderness, tried and tempted. But Jesus, fully divine, did what we could not, and was perfectly faithful to God’s laws. Because of Jesus’ faithfulness, we can live in the certainty of God’s presence to us in the wilderness, and the assurance of God’s forgiveness when we go astray. In hope and trust, let us confess our sins to God.
Prayer of Confession
Jesus,
when we read the story of your temptation in the wilderness,
we read ourselves into the story all too easily.
We know what it is to be tempted.
But unlike you, we succumb to our temptations time and time again.
So we confess that we have tried to take shortcuts to bypass suffering,
rather than stay faithful to the road you lead us on.
We confess that we want God to serve us, not the other way around.
We confess that we want to rule, to have power and wealth,
even at the expense of others.
Jesus, you endured suffering even to the point of the cross,
not turning away, but staying true to your mission.
By your faithfulness, we have been set free.
Forgive our faithlessness, and help us to
live in obedience and faith.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, O God,
by the power of the Spirit that was with Jesus in the wilderness.
Help us to trust in you.
Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
—Colossians 2:13–14 NIV
Be at peace, trusting in the forgiveness of your sins.
Revised Common Lectionary
Year C: Season after Pentecost—Proper 12 (17)
